B.C. turns to social media for tsunami warnings

Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, seen from the air in August 2012. The powerful earthquake that rocked the islands two weeks ago has shaken up the way the provincial government is issuing its tsunami alerts.

Photograph by: Archive
, PNG

VICTORIA -- The province is planning a social media push and new email notifications to send out warnings the next time a tsunami threatens coastal communities.

Justice Minister Shirley Bond and Emergency Management B.C. director of operations Chris Duffy announced Monday a secondary warning system will now accompany the existing Provincial Emergency Notification System (PENS), which uses phone, fax and email, following a review of existing procedures.

Under the current system, seismic activity is detected by the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Centre, which automatically sends out an alert to the public and first responders if the event poses a tsunami risk.

Under the new protocol, that tsunami warning will be doubled via another, separate email from the Emergency Management B.C. to a “priority distribution list” including local authorities, first responders like RCMP and ambulance, regional coordination centres and major media outlets to help spread the message the public should take shelter or seek higher ground.

At the same time, the office’s official Twitter account,@EmergencyInfoBC, and website, including a new mobile site, will immediately be updated with current information. An interactive map of tsunami warning zones is also in the works, along with audio clips available through the website Soundcloud.

Despite criticisms the government system was slow to notify British Columbians in at-risk areas after last month’s 7.7-magnitude quake off of Haida Gwaii, the review was a matter of standard practice, Bond said.

“I think the 7.7-magnitude earthquake was an opportunity for us to review everything in detail and I think the public would expect us to do that,” Bond said during Monday’s teleconference.

The announcement comes three weeks after the major quake struck 74 kilometres south-southwest of Queen Charlotte City, leading to a tsunami warning all along the B.C. coast and as far away as Hawaii.

No serious damage or injuries were reported, but many communities complained about a one-hour lag between the time the ground began to shake and when provincial officials made contact.

Bond stressed the overall responsibility rests with municipalities to notify and organize residents in the event of an evacuation.

“How they do that — there are a variety of ways depending on the community — but it can include local radio, email, warning sirens; they have phone networks, and even going door-to-door using a loud-hailer,” she said.

But the new high-tech, web-based initiatives won’t help some remote communities on Haida Gwaii, which has patchy cellular coverage. Some homes don’t have high-speed Internet access, let alone smartphones to support a mobile app. No extra money will be allocated for the new measures.

Leaders in places like Tofino, Queen Charlotte City and Tow Hill Road said last month that by 9:05 p.m., when the first government-issued media bulletin was sent out, their evacuation procedures had been in effect since the first tremors began at 8:04 p.m.

Because landlines are more common than cellphones in Tow Hill Road, a small community on the north end of Haida Gwaii, an automated call went out to 180 residents before officials heard from the province, said emergency coordinator Meredith Adams. But word of mouth proved to be the most effective tool of communication.

“What I tell people personally is, don’t rely on your government to tell you what to do,” she said. She plans to attend a meeting planned in Masset Tuesday night with local officials to discuss how to improve the warning system and evacuation procedures.

“Haida Gwaii as an example felt the natural warning — the ground shaking — they implemented their plans and people took appropriate action. That’s a really important first step.”

Municipal leaders, emergency coordinators and first responders like the RCMP would have received notifications through the PENS system.

Existing procedures for staffing coordination and command centres, including providing on-the-ground support, remain unchanged, Duffy said. The Alaska reporting centre will still convene an emergency conference call with local authorities using special phone lines if a tsunami warning is triggered.

However, the U.S. National Weather Service confirmed this weekend its subscription service for tsunami alerts to the general public will be changing in the next 30 days. Bond said she wasn’t sure if the changes would affect individual subscribers in B.C., however she noted the province’s new notification system will be in place.

UPDATE: Another earthquake hit off the coast of Haida Gwaii around 9 p.m. tonight, but the 5.4 M tremor caused no tsunami danger, according to an online National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration bulletin. The earthquake happened about 19 km under the ocean floor and about 64 km southwest of the town of Sandspit.

Haida Gwaii, formerly known as the Queen Charlotte Islands, seen from the air in August 2012. The powerful earthquake that rocked the islands two weeks ago has shaken up the way the provincial government is issuing its tsunami alerts.

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